It is piloted by the project leader Paul Larsen and sponsored by Danish wind turbines manufacturer Vestas.

In 2008 the first version reached a reported unofficial speed of 52.22 knots (96.71 km/h),[1] before crashing.

[2] After being upgraded to a second version, the Vestas Sailrocket 2 began a campaign to break speed records in November 2012 off Walvis Bay, Namibia.

[8] A Swiss team of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne university students and engineers, including members involved in the development of previous record-holder Hydroptère, formed in October 2019 to develop a new hydrofoil boat, SP80, to exceed the Vestas Sailrocket 2 record in 2022, with a target speed of 80 knots.

[9] As of April 2023, the speed record attempts were pushed back to 2024 and are scheduled to take place in Leucate.